Value driven Industry 5.0 to optimise i 4.0 technologies

June 23, 2022 3:54 pm

WIKA supports companies in machine building with instrumentation solutions and services for pressure, temperature, level, force and flow measurement.

WIKA India wants to double its turnover by 2025, reveals Anil Shinde, AVP Sales, WIKA Instruments India Pvt. Ltd., during an interaction with OEM Update.

Perception of the measurement technology market

 Digital Transformation, Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, Smart equipment and disruptive technology changes, all need sensing instruments. These are the drivers of the connected electronic devices across industry verticals, which in turn are leading to increased demand for precision test and measurement equipment. According to the latest report of Market Research Future (MRFR), the global test and measurement equipment market size is projected to reach a size of $34,586.38 million by 2025. Following the global trend and being reshaped by the current focus on 5G and EV market, Indian market for general-purpose electronic T&M instruments alone will touch US$ 300 million by 2022, according to research by Frost & Sullivan.

Wika’s product offering and system solution

 WIKA supports companies in machine building with instrumentation solutions and services for pressure, temperature, level, force and flow measurement. Through many years of close cooperation with machine-building companies across a wide range of industrial sectors, the industry-specific challenges are well known to us. Thus, we have dedicated product range for various sectors, like Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, Filling and packaging machinery, Paper machinery, Power Generation, Power Transmission & Distribution, Calibration benches. Across these industries, WIKA offers many innovative products, supplying to more than 6000 customers.

Manufacturing with Industry 4.0/ 5.0 to optimize production 

Industry 4.0 is considered to be technology-driven, whereas Industry 5.0 is value-driven. And, for the first time the two realms of industrial manufacturing transitions are co-existing. The reason is obvious. With better technology and disruptions, we are getting more data. Responsible usage of this data is what will allow mankind to reap the benefits of the technology interface, smart systems, AI, Block chain and others. Hence, for Industry 4.0 to be optimised, we need Industry 5.0. It provides the weightage for the value addition offered by digital adoptions.

Location of manufacturing facilities to serve process industries

 WIKA has four production units India. First one is the instrument plant in Pune. In Pune, Pressusre guages temperature gauges, diaphragm seal, level gauges, equipment for SF6 gas handling units. We are shortly adding production facility for force measurement / load cells. Most of the industry that gets served from these product range is typically process industry means petrochemical, pharmaceutical, oil and gas station power transmission HVAC various types of industrial machines like pumps and compressors. Our second plant was established in Chennai. In Chennai we make the pressure switches and temperature switches both in distribution marketing in Railways plants like steel plants or power plants etc. Then coming to the Ghaziabad plant here we make switches which caters to HVAC and railway segment. Our Faridabad plants manufactures Instrumentation Valves & Manifolds, Flow elements for DP based measurements. This plant export products supporting global key accounts. 

PLI assists MSMEs in maximising component and product localization.

 Production linked incentive (PLI) scheme would make a major impact to the country’s micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) ecosystem by creating a hub and spoke model that will need new supplier base across the entire value chain. The decision of government to introduce PLI to 10 key sectors like Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery, Electronic/ Technology products, automobile & Auto components, Pharmaceuticals, Telecom & Networking products, Textile, Food Products, High end solar modules, top end white goods and Specialty Steel—these are essentially a boost to top end manufacturing which will need quality suppliers. Definitely this is an indirect inducement for MSMEs. About localisation—Indian market still offers the value for money in terms of labour and supply chain. At WIKA,we pride ourselves on the localisation process also. Till 2002 we were importing majority of products. Thereafter we embarked on journey to localisation. This has bought us huge success. Customers are now ready to pay a premium to get the best quality.

The manufacturing sector in India is attracting investments in order to improve efficiency and modernization. 

According to the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), in 2019, India ranked 42 out of 152 countries, with manufacturing value added (MVA constant 2015 US$) totalling $430.25 billion, or equal to 15.5 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP). However, after the COVID induced disruption, Government has really taken a firm step forward to usher in manufacturing, instead of testing the waters through various bounded incentives. The series of policy reforms and notable improvements in the business regulatory framework will have a tremendous impact on the development of India’s ability to attract FDI and trade in the manufacturing sector. In fact, the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 report ranked India as one of the 10 most improved economies in terms of ease of doing business score, especially due to reforms in paying taxes, trading across borders, and resolving insolvency.In fact, the 10 sectors identified and incentivised by the government have the best potential to grow.

WIKA’s perception of success in serving industries and OEMs in India 

WIKA’s defining success in India is through OEMs and Distribution Network. Many OEMs are with us for last 15 Years. We have been successfully supplying them without any disruption, maintaining the same good quality with very little PPMS. Our OEMs are very much satisfied. So, WIKA has been a very reliable supplier and support system for the Customers.

Strategy for future facility expansion or innovative solutions 

WIKA India has four verticals of businesses– Projects or expansion business, Maintenance business, Distribution business and OEMs. Expansion, in terms of manufacturing capacity, has already happened for next five years. We will expand and plan with further technology adaptions to Indian demands and global changes. With AI and automation playing a role in every field, WIKA too has embraced automation and ungraded the products. We have identified list of products that need to become smart and with a targeted sense of priority, we have transformed into manufacturing IOT enabled products. WIKA India wants to double its turnover by 2025. Also, we are looking at transforming India to be the localisation and a distribution hub for the near-most global markets. WIKA India plans to encash the advantage of affordable labour and thus the cost-effective production process. And with a good supply chain and distribution channel, we will be able to supply products for WIKA Global as well.